The NSW Government this week announced it had appointed retired Supreme Court Justice Michael Campbell to conduct a review of laws surrounding criminal actions which result in the death of an unborn child.

The review, to be completed later this year, was sparked by the tragic story of baby ‘Zoe’ who died at seven months gestation after her mother Brodie Donegan was hit on the footpath by an allegedly drug-affected driver on the Central Coast on Christmas Day. However NSW laws did not allow for the driver to be charged with manslaughter. Please click here for more details.

“Not charging for Zoe's death negates her life. There has to be a specific law that recognises the viability of life and protects an unborn child and the wording of that law has to include manslaughter. And it should apply on a national level," Ms Donegan told the Daily Telegraph.

ACL agrees with Ms Donegan and welcomes NSW Attorney General John Hatzistergos’ (pictured) action in launching the law review.

Sadly, however, the Victorian Government has failed to respond to a similar call for Victorian laws to be reviewed.

In Victoria, Nancy Asani has waged a 10-year campaign to have State law recognise the lives of unborn car crash victims following the death of her own unborn daughter at 37 weeks gestation when another driver crashed into her car in December 1999. The driver was not even charged with her daughter’s death, only with causing injury to Ms Asani. Click here for more details.

To date Nancy Asani’s campaign has hit a brick wall with the Victorian Government – perhaps not surprising when you consider the way the Government ignored deep public concern in 2008 to push through law changes making abortion easily accessible in Victoria right up until an unborn child is full-term.

However Ms Asani is continuing her campaign and has set up a petition which says: “I Nancy Asani call upon the Attorney General's Office to change the law of unborn babies that are victims of road deaths in the State of Victoria. Victorian law does not recognise a foetus as a child until it has taken its first breath. Something must be done.” Please join in this important campaign by clicking here and signing the petition.